Ruple Jairath

Copyright 2015 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ERIN MCCRACKEN

Life is full of problems, and one Tri-State student loves to problem solve.

“There are multiple ways to approach a problem — that’s just life in general. You can approach and solve problems in so many ways,” said Ruple Jairath, a 16-year-old Castle High School junior.

That’s why she loves mathematics, something she has excelled at through her years of schooling.

As a junior, she’s taking college-level calculus — the only student in her grade to do so.

She’s also vice president of the math club and leader of MATHCOUNTS — an extracurricular competitive math program for middle school students she’s been involved with since the third grade.

She helps students with practices and answers their questions about difficult math concepts. For competitions, she proctors and grades the test.

Her family visits India often, she said. Through her travels, she’s always wanted to help, so she became a youth ambassador for the Akshaya Patra Foundation — a nonprofit geared toward feeding and educating students in India.

She’s raised more than $1,000, which will feed 67 children a school lunch and give them enough for education for the school year, she said.

Jairath is also actively involved in varsity sports like tennis and swim team. She also has a hand in Spanish Club, Academic Team, Key Club, National Honor Society, Student Athletic Council and Glamour Girls.

Jairath keeps herself busy through the week.

Her 19-year-old brother, who is studying at Notre Dame, inspires her drive.

“He’s my role model so I like to follow in his footsteps,” she said.

Helping, volunteering and keeping busy make her feel like she’s contributing.

“The feeling of helping is nothing describable. You just feel you’re actually doing something with your time.”

She’s still considering what college to go to after she graduates in 2016, but she knows she wants to be a doctor one day.

Oncology — which focuses on tumors — interests her. Her grandfather died in August from cancer. He had only been diagnosed two to three months prior.

“Ever since then, I’ve been interested in it,” she said.

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